Analysis of Father Malloy
Edgar Lee Masters 1868 (Garnett) – 1950 (Elkins Park)
You are over there, Father Malloy,
Where holy ground is, and the cross marks every grave,
Not here with us on the hill --
Us of wavering faith, and clouded vision
And drifting hope, and unforgiven sins.
You were so human, Father Malloy,
Taking a friendly glass sometimes with us,
Siding with us who would rescue Spoon River
From the coldness and the dreariness of village morality.
You were like a traveler who brings a little box of sand
From the wastes about the pyramids
And makes them real and Egypt real.
You were a part of and related to a great past,
And yet you were so close to many of us.
You believed in the joy of life.
You did not seem to be ashamed of the flesh.
You faced life as it is,
And as it changes.
Some of us almost came to you, Father Malloy,
Seeing how your church had divined the heart,
And provided for it,
Through Peter the Flame,
Peter the Rock.
Scheme | ABCDEAFGHIJKLFMNOPAQRST |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 111011001 1101100111001 1111101 11100101010 010100101 101101001 1001010111 10111110110 1010001001100100 101010011010111 101010100 01110101 1001100101011 01101111011 10100111 11111101101 111111 01110 11111111001 101111101 001011 11001 1001 |
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 860 |
Words | 170 |
Sentences | 9 |
Stanzas | 1 |
Stanza Lengths | 23 |
Lines Amount | 23 |
Letters per line (avg) | 30 |
Words per line (avg) | 7 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 681 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 168 |
Font size:
Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 51 sec read
- 31 Views
Citation
Use the citation below to add this poem analysis to your bibliography:
Style:MLAChicagoAPA
"Father Malloy" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/8569/father-malloy>.
Discuss this Edgar Lee Masters poem analysis with the community:
Report Comment
We're doing our best to make sure our content is useful, accurate and safe.
If by any chance you spot an inappropriate comment while navigating through our website please use this form to let us know, and we'll take care of it shortly.
Attachment
You need to be logged in to favorite.
Log In